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Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Mother-of-two 'addicted to TikTok' blew £300,000 on gifts for her favourite creators after stealing £500,000 from her employer
A mother-of-two who was 'addicted' to TikTok spent £300,000 on gifts for her favourite content creators after stealing almost half a million pounds from her company. Katherine Greenall, 29, from St Helens, Liverpool, was left in tears as she was told she would spend 28 months in prison for her fraud. The mother stole the eye-watering sum of money while working as an accounts manager for a car company and spent her ill-gotten gains on TikTok tokens. The virtual currency was then spent on Greenall's favourite content creators for her 'amusement and entertainment'. She claimed she had not been living a lavish lifestyle and only started stealing from her boss to fund household purchases but her spending spree quickly spiralled and she splashed out on hotels, holidays and Amazon purchases. Over the course of 121 payments, she siphoned off £443,523.26 from the company and her crime spree was only stopped after bosses began to ask questions over lower than expected profits, the Liverpool Echo reported. The 29-year-old had been working at New Reg Ltd, a car buying company, as a customer services manager since April 2021 and in December 2022 was promoted to accounts manager, giving her access to the company bank accounts. Christopher Taylor, prosecuting told Liverpool Crown Court on Friday that the 'trusted and respectable' manager committed a 'significant abuse of trust' by manipulating financial reports to cover her tracks. During her spending spree, Greenall made 53 unauthorised deposits in to her bank account, totalling £57,036 in 2023. She spent the small fortune on supermarket shops, restaurants and cafes, Amazon Prime and sports shops. She also splashed out on family holidays and hotel bookings and even hired a family lawyer. The mother-of-two then ramped up her spending the following year, making another four deposits to her account totalling £8,917 in January alone. In February she siphoned off a further ten payments amounting to £14,916. And the following month her illegal bank transfers had exploded and she took home a shocking £146,288 over the course of 20 payments. By April, Greenall's spending was completely out of control and in the course of just four weeks, transferred herself £196,364.26. The Liverpudlian only began to raise suspicion among senior management after they discovered smaller than expected profits were being officially recorded. In a company meeting on May 1, Greenall promised to investigate the discrepancies and returned to her desk where she made a final deposit of £20,000 and then fled work, clamming her family were sick. A week later on May, 7, Greenall admitted her criminal actions and was arrested on May 13. When interviewed by police, the young mother claimed she had 'not been living a lavish lifestyle' and had only £700 in her bank account. She explained how the deposits had started off as small and were only used to fund household purchases but quickly ballooned as she spent the cash on TikTok tokens. She confessed to becoming addicted to the social media app and revealed sending the tokens made her feel better during a period where she felt very low. Out of the enormous £443,523.26 of swindled funds, Greenhall spent £301,162.55 on TikTok tokens in the 21-month period. Her spending spree almost pushed the car company, which had been operating since 1995, to financial ruin and put 30 of her former colleagues at risk of redundancy. Greenall has no previous convictions. Paul Becker, defending, told the court that she 'may have been suffering from a form of addiction to TikTok', but stated that she had 'no formal diagnosis to such an addiction'. Greenall admitted one count of fraud by abuse of position. Her two children, a six-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy with severe ADHD, will be cared for by her sister, a nursery care worker while she is in prison. Sentencing, Judge Neil Flewitt KC said: 'You are 29 years of age and of previous good character. You are a good mum to two young children, one of whom has particular challenges. You were trusted and respected. Your employers were aware of the challenges that you faced at home and made allowed allowances. 'You repaid their trust in you by stealing from them on a massive scale. Over a period from January 2023 to the beginning of May 2024, you stole almost £450,000. You covered you what you were doing by manipulating documents that were used for accounting purposes by the company, and you put that money into your own bank account. He concluded by saying: 'It is a matter of regret that I have a public duty which I have to fulfil. It is a tragedy that those children are going to suffer as a result of your dishonesty. I have taken the view that there is simply no way to avoid what I am sure you have been advised is the inevitable sentence of imprisonment. This is simply too much money and too much damage caused here.'
The Sun
3 days ago
- The Sun
‘TikTok addicted' mum-of-two, 29, who stole £300k from her firm to spend on ‘tokens' for favourite creators is jailed
A SOCIAL media "addicted" mum who stole £300,000 from her employer to blow on TikTok "tokens" has been jailed. Katherine Greenall was in tears in the dock yesterday as she was told she'd be locked up for pinching the vast sum from a car company where she worked as an accounts manager. 3 3 3 The mum-of-two, 29, spent the vast majority of the cash on TikTok tokens, which users can gift to their favourite creators. However, the court also heard Greenall also treated herself to holidays, hotel stays and Amazon purchases during her year-long "voyage of fraud and misadventure", reports the Manchester Evening News. The thief claimed she now has only a few hundred pounds left in her bank account. Liverpool Crown Court heard on Friday afternoon, Greenall began working for St Helens-based New Reg Ltd, a technology firm which specialises in purchasing vehicles for clients, in a lesser role in April 2021. The mum, of the town's Gloucester Street, was promoted in December 2022, giving her access to business bank accounts. Prosecutor Christopher Taylor was considered "vital" to the growing firm and described as "both trusted and respected" before it was found she was siphoning off the funds into her own accounts. Analysis of Greenall's bank statements showed during 2023 she received 53 unauthorised deposits totalling £57,036 from her employer. During this period, she also began increasing her spending at supermarkets, as well as other food outlets, sports retailers and Amazon Prime. The court heard she also used the funds to pay for a family solicitor. Her spree ramped up in the early months of the following year, boosting her bank balance by another £196,364.26 by April 2024. Such large sums going missing raised suspicions amongst Greenall's superiors and were put to the defendant in a meeting with the company director on May 1. She pledged to investigate before making a "final deposit" of £20,000 immediately after and then left the office claiming there was an illness in her family. Greenall would later admit criminality during a meeting six days later and she was arrested on May 13. She told detectives she had been "living a lavish lifestyle" and had only £700 in her bank account. The mum said initially she'd been using the stolen money to pay for household purchases before she began funding her TikTok"obsession". Tokens on the platform can be bought with real money and exchanged for virtual gifts that users can send to creators during live streams, which can then be exchanged back to real cash. Greenall said the crime spree came "at a time when she was low", the court heard. Overall, she pinched £443,523.26 out of the company over 121 separate transactions, and spent £301,162.55 on TikTok tokens. Her actions jeopardised the future of the firm and placed over 30 former colleagues at risk of redundancy. Paul Becker, defending, told the court that his client "may have been suffering from a form of addiction to TikTok", but stated that she had "no formal diagnosis to such an addiction". Greenall's two children, an 11-year-old boy with severe ADHD, and a six-year-old girl, are anticipated to be looked after by their mum's sister. The defendant admitted one count of fraud by abuse of position and was jailed for 28 months. One of her supporters told her "I love you" from the public gallery as Greenall was led away. Judge Neil Flewitt KC said: "It is a tragedy that those children are going to suffer as a result of your dishonesty. "I have taken the view that there is simply no way to avoid what I am sure you have been advised is the inevitable sentence of imprisonment.
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Mum of two in tears as 'TikTok addiction' sends her to prison
Katherine Greenall, 29, spent a whopping £300,000 on TikTok tokens which she went on to gift to her favourite creators after she stole it from a St Helens business A mum was left crying after her " TikTok addiction" sent her to prison. Katherine Greenall, 29, wiped away tears as she was sentenced to 28 months behind bars after stealing an estimated half-a-million pounds from her employer while she worked as an account manager for the car company. Liverpool Crown Court heard on Friday how Greenall started working for the St Helens-based New Reg Ltd as a services manager in April 2021. Greenall, of Gloucester Street in the same town, was then promoted to accounts manager in December of the following year - which gave her access to business bank accounts. Prosecutor Christopher Taylor detailed how she had been considered as a "vital part of the company's growth", "very organised and capable" and both "trusted and respected", but committed a "significant abuse of trust" in manipulating financial reports that enabled her to siphon off funds into her own accounts. An analysis of her bank statements found during 2023Greenall received a total 53 unauthorised deposits totalling £57,036 from her employer. The same period also saw a "change in her expenditure", including numerous purchases from supermarkets, food outlets, Amazon Prime and sports retailers. The mum also splashed out on family holidays and hotel bookings as well as using stolen cash to pay for a family solicitor. Greenall's criminality went on to accelerate in the early months of 2024. In January that year, she made further four deposits to the tune of £8,917, followed by 10 more in February amounting to £14,916. She went on to pocket a staggering £146,288 in 20 separate payments, which were dwarfed by another 31 transactions in April 2024, giving a £196,364 boost to her bank account. Missing sums of money started to raise suspicions among senior managers. Smaller than expected profits were raised with Greenall during an internal investigation on May 1. She pledged to investigate the matter before returning to her desk and made a "final deposit" of £20,000 into her account, citing a false family illness. Greenall would admit her criminality in another meeting on May 7 and she went on to be arrested on May 13. She claimed the deposits "started small" and that they were used to fund "household purchases." But se later admitted the money had been used to fund TikTok payments, gifting tokens to content creators on the platform. Greenall ultimately swindled a total of £443,523 from the company in 121 separate transactions. She went to spend £301,162 on TikTok tokens with the proceeds being shared between the social media platform and the content creators who got the coins between February 2024 and April 2025, Liverpoo Echo reports. Greenall had no previous convictions. Paul Becker, defending, told the court that his client "may have been suffering from a form of addiction to TikTok", but stated that she had "no formal diagnosis to such an addiction". It is believed her two children, a six-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy with severe ADHD, will be looked after by her sister, a nursery care worker, in her absence. Mr Becker said: "This is fraud on a massive scale. It started out for personal matters. It was not TikTok initially, but it is right to say that the bulk of the fraud went towards TikTok. "It started off otherwise, and it became TikTok. It was not for any sort of financial reward. It was amusement. The more she did it, the more she became addicted to being on TikTok. What she was getting out of it was entertainment. That is what she was paying for. That is where the majority of the money was going towards. "Of course, that came from her employer who is massively out of pocket. It placed the business at risk and other members of staff in jeopardy. This was an abuse of trust on a massive scale. She is thoroughly ashamed of what she has done and has come today prepared for what might be said to be the inevitable. "She did not hold back with the police. She told them chapter and verse. It is not really rational thinking, to embark on this voyage of fraud and misadventure. What started out for her own personal benefit very quickly escalated into providing monies to TikTok. "Bringing up children is not easy. This, I am sure, had an effect on her at the time of the offending. It is perhaps some sort of insight as to why somebody embarks upon this sort of fraud. "It may be said that she was just greedy and wanted a better life and that is why she did it, but one has to have a holistic view of the factors in her life. It must have worn her down. It is not to negate what is deplorable behaviour, but she did not have an easy time. She is, if nothing else, a good mum who has done her best." Greenall admitted to one count of fraud by abuse of position. Appearing in the dock, she wiped away tears while being jailed for 28 months.
Daily Record
4 days ago
- Business
- Daily Record
Mum's 'TikTok addiction' results in prison sentence for fraud
Katherine Greenall "abused the trust" of the company she worked for with her actions. A mum's "addiction to TikTok" has resulted in her being sent to prison after she stole almost half a million pounds from her employer. Katherine Greenall, 29, was employed by technology company New Reg Ltd, which "specialises in purchasing vehicles for private and commercial clients", from 2021. A promotion in 2022 saw her become an accounts manager, which meant she had access to company bank accounts, Liverpool Crown Court heard on Friday, June 6. The mum-of-two from St Helens, Merseyside, went on to commit a "significant abuse of trust" in manipulating financial reports, allowing her to deposit vast sums into her own accounts over the course of more than a year. She spent most of it on TikTok tokens, which were gifted to content creators for her own "amusement and entertainment". She also splashed out on holidays, hotels and multiple personal purchases from Amazon, supermarkets and other retailers. Appearing in the dock, she wiped her tears away as she was sentenced to 28 months behind bars, after admitting to fraud by abuse of position, the Liverpool ECHO reports. Prosecutor Christopher Taylor described how Greenall had been praised for being a "vital part of the company's growth", "very organised and capable" and "both trusted and respected". However, her scheming saw her make a total of 53 unauthorised deposits to the tune of £57,036 in 2023, according to an analysis of her bank statements. However, her actions would only worsen in early 2024. In January, she made four deposits totalling £8,917, then another 10 in February amounting to £14,916. In March she made a shocking 20 payments worth £146,288, and incredibly, a further 31 in April, which added up to £196,264.26. Eventually, senior management at the company became suspicious after smaller than expected profits were raised with Greenall during a meeting with one of its directors on May 1. Despite promising to look into the issue, she returned to her desk and made a "final deposit" to her own account of £20,000 before leaving the office, claiming what was a "false family illness". Greenall, called Katie by her colleagues, would later "admit her criminality" in another meeting on May 7, and was arrested on May 13. However, in her police interview, she was "emotional", claiming she "not been living a lavish lifestyle" and all she had in her bank account was £700. She explained how the "deposits started small", and were "used to fund household purchases". It was later that she "started using the stolen money to fund TikTok payments", gifting tokens to creators. She described it as having "become an obsession" which came "at a time when she was low". She said she would send the coins to "random" accounts as it "made her feel better", but would "return to a number of particular creators". In total, she siphoned £443,523.26 from the company over 121 separate transactions. £301,162.55 was spent on the tokens, leaving £142,360.71 which was "spent by the defendant on other things". Her actions have reportedly "jeopardised the future" of the company, which has been in business since 1995, and put over 30 of her ex-colleagues at risk of redundancy due to the losses incurred. Paul Becker, defending, said that Greenall, who has no previous convictions, "may have been suffering from a form of addiction to TikTok", but stated that she had "no formal diagnosis to such an addiction". It is believed her children, a six-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son, who has severe ADHD, will be cared for by her sister, a nursery worker, during her time in prison. Mr Becker added: "This is fraud on a massive scale. It started out for personal matters. It was not TikTok initially, but it is right to say that the bulk of the fraud went towards TiKTok. "It started off otherwise, and it became TikTok. It was not for any sort of financial reward. It was amusement. The more she did it, the more she became addicted to being on TikTok. What she was getting out of it was entertainment. That is what she was paying for. That is where the majority of the money was going towards. "Of course, that came from her employer who is massively out of pocket. It placed the business at risk and other members of staff in jeopardy. This was an abuse of trust on a massive scale. She is thoroughly ashamed of what she has done and has come today prepared for what might be said to be the inevitable. "She did not hold back with the police. She told them chapter and verse. It is not really rational thinking, to embark on this voyage of fraud and misadventure. What started out for her own personal benefit very quickly escalated into providing monies to TikTok. " Bringing up children is not easy. This, I am sure, had an effect on her at the time of the offending. It is perhaps some sort of insight as to why somebody embarks upon this sort of fraud. "It may be said that she was just greedy and wanted a better life and that is why she did it, but one has to have a holistic view of the factors in her life. It must have worn her down. It is not to negate what is deplorable behaviour, but she did not have an easy time. She is, if nothing else, a good mum who has done her best." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Judge Neil Flewitt KC, sentencing Greenall, said: "You are 29 years of age and of previous good character. You are a good mum to two young children, one of whom has particular challenges. You were trusted and respected. Your employers were aware of the challenges that you faced at home and made allowed allowances. "You repaid their trust in you by stealing from them on a massive scale. Over a period from January 2023 to the beginning of May 2024, you stole almost £450,000. You covered you what you were doing by manipulating documents that were used for accounting purposes by the company, and you put that money into your own bank account. "It started on a smaller scale. Things escalated on a grander scale in 2024. Having been made aware that the company was concerned, you did something which makes this worse. You went back to your desk and took another £20,000. "As I understand it, it is possible to make payment through tokens to content creators on TikTok to show your appreciation to them for the entertainment that they provide. If the information I have been given is correct, part of that goes to the platform. I make no comment about the morality of all of that, but that seems to be where a substantial amount of this money has gone. "But not all of it. From February 2024, there were 235 payments to TikTok totalling just over £300,000. That leaves over £142,000 that did not go to TikTok. You cannot possibly have needed all of that money just to buy day to day items. Some of it must have gone on extravagant spending. "I do accept that you must have been getting some form of escape from pressures at home by watching this content, that it may have been some sort of release for you. While there is no medical evidence that this became some form of addiction, I recognise that it became a pattern that was difficult to cast aside. "You jeopardised the business and its future trading. More particularly, you put at risk the jobs of your fellow workers because, at one stage, it was thought that some of them might have to be made redundant. That is a serious aggravating feature. "I accept that you are genuinely remorseful. You have found yourself work. I have read references from your mother, father, sister and friend and have read a lot about your two children. "It is a matter of regret that I have a public duty which I have to fulfil. It is a tragedy that those children are going to suffer as a result of your dishonesty. I have taken the view that there is simply no way to avoid what I am sure you have been advised is the inevitable sentence of imprisonment. This is simply too much money and too much damage caused here."
